The FRA will present the results of its survey into experiences of hate crime and discrimination by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on 17 May 2013 during a conference hosted by the Dutch government in The Hague.

Around 93,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from all across the EU and Croatia completed the survey, making it the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind to date. LGBT people were asked whether they had experienced discrimination, violence, verbal abuse or hate speech on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Participants were also asked to identify where such incidents took place, such as at school, work, when seeking healthcare or in public places.

At a time when the fundamental rights of LGBT persons are being discussed in national parliaments across the EU, initial survey findings reveal that nearly a half of all respondents had felt discriminated against on grounds of sexual orientation in the past year before the survey. These and other findings will be discussed during a panel debate at the conference.

The debate will be opened with a keynote address by Viviane Reding, Vice President of the European Commission. In the panel discussion the results will be discussed by Kinga Göncz (European Parliament), Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz (Polish Secretary of State), Kathleen Lynch (Irish Minister of State), Maria Ochoa- Llidó (Council of Europe), Evelyne Paradis (ILGA Europe).